Stipe Miocic vs. Junior dos Santos 2 set for UFC 211

Dallas is all set to welcome a major MMA match, as the UFC heavyweight title fight will be played at the American Airlines Centre on May 13. The game will feature Stipe Miocic and Junior dos Santos going up against each other as part of UFC 211. It is not the only title fight in UFC 211, as Jessica Andrade and Joanna Jedrzejczyk will also be going up against each other. Arguably, the match between Miocic and Dos Santos will be considered as the feather in the cap.

Stipe Miocic vs Junior dos Santos

Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will be entering into a second defense of his title through a rematch against Junior dos Santos. This defense will be to retain the crown that he won last year. Stipe Miocic managed a brilliant one-punch KO during the UFC 198 main event to beat Fabricio Werdum. Curitiba in Brazil was the location to this extraordinary match, and Miocic was in Ohio – his home state – in order to defend the crown in September. Alistair Overeem gave the challenge through the UFC 203, but the defending champion secured a comeback win.

UFC 211 is rather interesting for MMA fans, as it pits Miocic against Dos Santos. The latter is the last player to have defeated Miocic. Back towards the end of 2014, UFC on Fox 13 witnessed Dos Santos managing a win on unanimous decision after five rounds. Since then, Miocic has gone on this incredible run but the defeat against Dos Santos has been itching him all along the way.

Betting Preview

It does not take someone to know how does MMA betting work? in order to witness the biggest money flowing in for Miocic. Coming into the match as the reigning champion, Miocic is being given the best odds for success by bookmakers. Popular bookmakers are placing him at -190 in order to retain the title. Yet, it should not be forgotten that Miocic comes up against a name against whom he has suffered his last defeat. Junior Dos Santos, however, is being given odds of +155 for success. The logic behind these odds are quite clear: Miocic is the favorite to retain the title that he has successfully defended on two occasions.

Reasons to Back Miocic

Since the defeat against Dos Santos back in December 2014, Miocic has managed four straight wins. Mark Hunt, Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, and Alistair Overeem have been comfortably dispatched during this period. It should be remembered that these victories have either been knockouts or through a stoppage by the referee. Opponents have been unable to live with the heavy hitting nature of Miocic.

Reasons to Back Dos Santos

Dos Santos will be considered as an underdog despite managing to win against Miocic largely because the latter comes into the match as the reigning champion. Dos Santos has several facets that has made him a nightmare for opponents in the ring. He has suffered just two knockouts in his entire career. However, both these knockouts came against hard hitters Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem. Experience does count in MMA and Dos Santos is slightly more experienced. He has the ability to do more damage on the ground. More importantly, those tough jaws sure can take some beating and will be hard to break down.

Stipe Miocic vs Dos Santos Fight Breakdown

In the case of every rematch, the smart money appears to go towards the player who lost in the previous game. While this appears to be the consensus, this fight has the ability to throw in several surprises even for the experienced punter. One of the points to take from the previous fight is the way in which Miocic went about his business without showing fear of Dos Santos. His confidence will be boosted even more following the title success. That fight witnessed plenty of strong punches, but Miocic well-defined jams and some clean punches were the highlights. One can expect these attributes to improve massively in the upcoming fight.

The two fighters are very closely matched, as seen in the first fight. The result could have easily gone to Miocic, as Dos Santos was guilty of throwing in some hooks and jabs that badly missed the target.

Miocic has the strength in his stance and possesses plenty of power in his fists. His quick moments and the ability to pick the best spots are some of his strong attributes. It is no wonder that he has managed to suffer just two defeats in his UFC career.

Conclusion: Prediction

Miocic will surely be going after a KO, but it will be extremely difficult considering the quality at the other end of the ring. Even though Dos Santos has been a formidable opponent, Miocic is clearly the man to back right now. A couple of heavy blows at the start of the game could set the tone for an epic contest.